Outed
by DYquem
Summary: Kagome's entire class finds out 'the sickly one' really isn't all that sick and that "there are more things in heaven and earth, Houjo, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."


Disclaimer: I have absolutely no ownership interest in Inuyasha or any of the characters in this fanfic

Disclaimer: I have absolutely no ownership interest in Inuyasha or any of the characters in this fanfic. Inuyasha is owned by Rumiko Takahashi and to whichever companies she has sold or licensed the rights. I make no money from this fanfic and appreciate Takahashi san's willingness to overlook my playing in her universe.

NOTE: This fanfic takes place prior to the arc which started about Chapter 450 in the Manga. Otherwise, it is a little off canon.

Madmiko very graciously reviewed it before it was posted, and gave me some suggestions, so thank you to her.

If you have already read this fic, then there are no significant changes in it. I just did some really small tweaks. It was nominated by the Feudal Association in June, 2008. I -think- it was best comedy, but tried to double check and couldn't find the nominations, only the winners. That's o.k. I was pretty thrilled just with the nomination.

--

"Wahn whon whon whon, wahn wann… whon whon WHAN." Kagome was reminded of those old Charlie Brown TV shows, in which adults never said anything intelligible. That's what the math teacher sounded like, despite her best efforts to stay focused and pay attention. She knew there was going to be a math test next Wednesday, and she planned to come back from the Feudal era to take it. That meant learning as much now as possible, as she was leaving tomorrow morning to go back and did not intend to return until the night before the test. Things seemed to be heating up between the group and Naraku was pushing them more, testing them more, and even on occasion showing up in person rather than sending a puppet. So far, they had been able to hold their own, and Kagome still had a shard the equivalent of three or four of the smaller shards they had found, but Naraku had the rest of the Shikon No Tama, and everyone sensed the war between them was drawing to a close, one way or another, in triumph for one and disaster for the other.

She also worried about Houjo and her friends. In typical fashion, Eri assumed Kagome would be delighted to go out with him. She thought back to lunchtime, and Houjo's sweet, but endlessly naïve, smile.

"Higurashi, I'm very glad to see you are well enough to attend school. There is a carnival coming this weekend. Do you think you will be feeling well enough to go with me on Saturday?"

Eri leaped into action. "Of course, she would, Houjo. She would -love- to go," Eri had no compunctions about answering on her behalf, and Kagome, in equally typical fashion, could not seem to find the fortitude to simply say no. Sometimes she wondered how she could confront good and evil youkai, good, evil and dead mikos and even face a monk with a black hole in his hand, but could not seem to face telling Houjo, Eri, Yuka and Ayume that she really had no interest in going out with Houjo. None. A sigh inadvertently escaped her.

'Higurashi?"

"Yes, Sensei?"

"Am I boring you?"

"No, Sensei. I'm very sorry Sensei."

"Very well, you miss enough school as it is. You need to pay special attention in class."

"Yes, Sir."

Kagome redoubled her efforts to concentrate, but something kept niggling at the back of her mind. She was sure she sensed something, but it wasn't a jewel shard. It seemed almost like a youkai, but she'd never sensed one in this era before. In less than a minute she was sure. It definitely felt like a youkai, moving fast and getting closer. She tried to surreptitiously look out of the window and then looked at the class room door when she realized it was actually IN the school itself already.

"HIGURASHI."

"Yes, Sensei, sorry, Sensei."

"The sun will still be shining when this class is over, but if you are not careful, you will have all day, every day, to be. . ."

Suddenly the door flew open and Inuyasha dashed into the room. Kagome barely had time to notice that he wore the baseball cap he usually wore when he went out in public in this era. "Kagome. Hurry, we have to go now."

"WHAT? Inuyasha, what are you DOING here? I'm in class. You can't come here and interrupt. Don't worry. I was coming back tonight, but we have to be back by Wednesday as I have a math test and can't miss it."

"Tonight's not soon enough. Naraku somehow knows you are not in the village, and he managed to grab Sango. I told Miroku I'd come get you immediately." Hakudoshi left a trail a child could follow, so I know it's a trap, but still… now's our chance to get that bastard.

Kagome had leapt to her feet when she heard Sango had been taken prisoner, to use as bait. Inuyasha grabbed her wrist and headed for the door, but Kagome dragged her feet and tried reach for her backpack. "Inuyasha, wait a minute. Sensei, I'm sorry, but I have to go somewhere," she said while still resisting Inuyasha's pull to the door. She managed to get her books and backpack collected one handed. Something was bugging her senses, but Kagome assumed it was just a combination of Inuyasha's youkai and her worry over Miroku and Sango.

"Kagome, don't forget this Saturday. Will you be back from wherever you're going in time to go on the date with Houjo to the carnival?" It was like freezing a DVD. Ayume always did have a bad sense of timing, Kagome thought, as Inuyasha stopped, and she could see the cap twitch, indicating his ear had swiveled Ayume's direction.

"What did you say?" In a heartbeat, their positions were reversed, as Inuyasha turned toward Ayume and Kagome tried to drag him towards the door, hoping to stave off disaster.

Eri spoke up brightly. "Kagome agreed to go to the carnival with Houjo."

"Well, really it is more like I just didn't say no," Kagome said awkwardly. Inuyasha stared at Houjo with narrowed eyes. He knew which one was Houjo. The idiot who'd tried to keep Kagome from him when the stupid youkai came to life at Kagome's school. Besides, he looked just like the idiot named Houjo in the Feudal era who clearly wanted Kagome for himself. Inuyasha didn't like either one.

"What's a car. ni. val?" "It's a. . ." "Never mind." He glared at Houjo, who just looked back with wide blank eyes. Kagome tugged, and Inuyasha turned back towards the door.

"Wait. Where do you think you are going, Higurashi?"

Kagome bowed deeply. "I'm very sorry, Sensei, but an emergency has come up and I have to go right now." What WAS that she was sensing, she wondered? It was not Inuyasha, it was fast, and it… No! It wasn't possible, was it?

"You can't just go. In the first place I haven't given you permission to leave, and if there is a family emergency of some sort, someone from administration should be informed and will then come to get you. I certainly can't let you leave with a strangely dressed boy who should be in his own class room instead of running around this school in cosplay. Weapons are not allowed in this school, even fake ones."

"But Sensei. . ."

"Oi, and just who is going to stop us? You?" Inuyasha was getting annoyed, and it showed in the glare he gave the sensei. He flexed a hand threateningly, but kept the claws hidden from the human. Although he could not see the claws, Kagome's sensei stared in shock at what seemed to be a physical threat.

"Inuyasha, I sense two jewel shards, moving fast."

"WHAT? That's impossible."

The door flew open.

"How's my woman?"

--

Everyone stared as the wolf youkai ran into the room and grabbed Kagome's hands, pulling her wrist away from Inuyasha. He looked just as he always did, with the fur clothing and boots, tail showing and his hair in its traditional topknot. His pointed ears were obvious and his tail flicked back and forth with agitation.

"Kagome, I knew your friend had been taken by that bastard Naraku, and I overheard dogshit telling the monk and the kit he was going to get you, so I followed him. Strange place. I asked a couple of humans about you, but no one would say anything. Your scent was hard to find in this weird place, but dogshit stinks so much, he was easy to track."

" Shut up, you mangy wolf!"

"Kouga, what are doing here?"

"I told you, I followed dogshit…"

"Stop calling me dogshit, ya mangy wolf," Inuyasha growled, "and get your hands off of her." He pulled Kagome out of Kouga's reach.

"But how did you get through the well? No one but Inuyasha and I have ever been able to do that."

"Dunno about the well. He jumped in and there was some blue light. I knew he was looking for you so I jumped into the light right after him."

"Oh, my god. You must have been pulled in from the opening Inuyasha made. We never thought about that possibility."

"Hmmph. Then why didn't I smell him?" Inuyasha demanded.

"You took off before I even knew what happened. I could tell you were moving fast. At least, fast for you," Kouga said with a smirk. "Fah, the air here stinks even worse than you do, dog breath. It's a wonder you can smell yourself, never mind anything else. How do you put up with it? What is this place anyway? It reeks of humans and other foul smells."

"Hey. I'm human," Kagome retorted with a fair imitation of a growl herself. Kouga smiled and grabbed her hands again. "I didn't mean you, Kagome. Your scent is fresh and sweet and I could smell you forever. In fact, I intend to do just that. You're my woman."

"Stop touching her. She's not your fucking woman."

"She will be. I'm going to help her rescue that taijiya friend of hers, give her Naraku's head on a platter, and she's going to be MY woman." He grinned at Inuyasha. "What IS that ridiculous thing on your head, dogshit?" With that Kouga reached out, and before either Kagome or Inuyasha could react, he pulled the baseball cap off Inuyasha's head. His ears popped free, and then swiveled towards a small 'eep' behind him.

The three turned, and Kagome realized she had totally forgotten there were others in the room. The entire class was on its feet and in a corner. Kouga and Inuyasha were between them and the door. They weren't quite huddled in the corner, but they were definitely gathered there. Kagome's sensei had his back against the wall, and his gaze seemed to alternate from Kouga's tail to Inuyasha's ears and back again. Kagome felt her stomach sink into the floor below.

"Uhmmm, my friends here are just in costume. We're doing a play out of school." Kagome smiled brightly, but no one looked convinced, not even Ayume. "Uh, Kagome, if those are costumes, how does he get that tail to move, and how does he move those ears?"

"How do you move your mouth? The ears just move. Get over it," Inuyasha said with a growl which clearly showed some fang. He had had enough of humans staring at him as if he was a freak. It brought back unpleasant memories from childhood.

What do I do now? Kagome thought desperately. Kouga didn't understand the need for secrecy. He didn't even know where he was as he just followed Inuyasha. Kagome heard running steps and turned towards the door. 'What now, is Sesshoumaru going to come bursting in here?' she thought with a touch of hysteria.

--

Mama Higurashi ran into Kagome's school room, followed closely behind by Souta.

"Kagome."

"Mama."

"Are you alright? A strange youkai came out of the well." She paused and sized up the room, including the location of the students and the fact that Inuyasha's ears were showing. "What happened?"

"Kouga came here, and pulled off Inuyasha's baseball cap. Mama, why did you come here?"

"I was worried. Kagome, get away from him." She glared at Kouga. "Inuyasha, be careful. That youkai threatened to eat me."

"WHAT?" Both Inuyasha and Kagome were shocked. Sure, Inuyasha didn't like the way the wolf kept sniffing around Kagome, but to threaten her mother? He turned to Kouga.

"You threatened to eat Kagome's mother?"

"Her mother!?"

"Yeah, her mother. Idiot. Moron!"

"I knew there was something about her that smelled familiar, even under the stench of this place."

"You threatened my mother?"

Kouga turned to Kagome with a placating smile. "Well, not really. I just wanted to know how to find you."

"He said if I didn't tell him where you were, he would kill me and feed me to his wolves."

"You THREATENED my Mother!"

Now he turned to Mama Higurashi with his smile, and turned it up to full wattage. He batted his very blue eyes. "I was kidding. I was worried about Kagome and her human friends. I wanted to find her to help her rescue the taijiya. I didn't mean it. It was the heat of the moment."

"You threatened my mother!!" Everyone in the room but Inuyasha was startled to notice that her hands were starting to glow pink. Kouga backed away, raised his own hands placatingly and tried his winning smile again.

"Kagome, you're my woman, my miko. You know I didn't mean it." He kept backing away as she glowed brighter.

"You threatened to eat my MOTHER! How dare YOU." Her arms and shoulders were glowing now, and Kouga had backed himself into a corner of the room. Miko energy flared out from Kagome, and Kouga jumped up to the ceiling to avoid it, pressing his legs between the two walls to stay up there.

"Kagome, I swore off humans when I met you. I haven't killed a. . . I haven't eaten a human since then," he said with scrupulous honesty. "I haven't let any of my wolves eat a human since then. Kagome. Please!"

"Hmmph. I've had enough of you. I'm going to go find Miroku and we're going to rescue Sango." With that statement, Kagome stalked out door. The eyes of everyone followed her.

--

"Yummm." Kouga said with the grin as he jumped down from the ceiling. "That's MY woman. Isn't she magnificent?"

"She's not your fucking woman. She almost purified your ass just now. What does it take to get through that wimpy wolf brain of yours? She's not your fucking woman."

"Well, she's never going to be yours, dogshit. But she –will- be mine."

Inuyasha growled, and, in typical Inuyasha fashion, acted without thinking. "I'll take you out here and now." Papers flew everywhere as the Tessaiga's giant fang materialized itself in the closed classroom, accompanied by a strong youkai wind.

"Inuyasha, look out. You'll destroy the room," Mama Higurashi yelled. He realized what was happening, and sheathed the sword.

"Feh, I don't need Tessaiga to take care of that wimpy wolf" and he flexed his claws.

"That's you, Inuyasha, always with the physical. It's all you know. But Kagome will be mine. Want to know why?" Inuyasha just growled. Kouga stared at him through his bangs and smirked, then looked at him seriously.

"Do you really think I led my people for years, and was sought after as a mate to join with and lead other tribes, if I was as immature as you think I am? I'm playing with you and Kagome. You are a child. You have all the emotional maturity of a new whelped pup. Kagome is young too. She is still learning about the differences between male and female. It is time for play, to get her used to me being around, to get her used to my scent and to put my scent on her. It's a funny thing about humans though. They grow up faster than youkai. In a few years, you'll still have all the emotional maturity of a new whelped pup. But in a few years, Kagome will be ripe. She'll be ready for a mate," Kouga sneered at Inuyasha, "not a playmate. That is when the real hunt will begin. Kagome will be my mate, not yours."

Inuyasha's head was spinning. "I… I'm a good hunter. I won't let you have her."

"Don't be ridiculous. Even a new whelped pup should know instinctively you have to mark your prey. You can't have a successful hunt if you can't decide which doe to cut from the herd." Kouga put out his hands as though he was weighing something. "Let's see, dead clay and ashes, or Kagome. Hmmm, the luscious Ka..go..me, or dead clay, ashes and smelly old magic." He stared Inuyasha down as he pretended to weigh his two hands. "Tough choice, dogshit." You keep on dithering like the pup you are. I intend to have Kagome for myself.

"She won't have anything to do with you. Even if you stopped, you and your wolves used to eat humans. She'd probably be worried you'd change your mind and eat her."

Kouga smirked. "That tells me just how much of a pup you are. I fully intend to eat one human in the future, and I can assure you, she won't complain a bit." Inuyasha just looked confused and angry, but Mama Higurashi went stark white.

"Now, I'm going to help her rescue her human friend and take out that bastard Naraku at the same time. With that parting comment, he jumped out the open window and took off.

"But we're on the 4th floor. How could he do that?" Ayume whimpered. No one bothered to answer.

--

Mama Higurashi was the first to recover. "But, I don't want her to marry some strange wolf youkai. Who is he? She's too young. Where would they live? I'd never see her again."

Inuyasha had been staring at the window. "Don't worry. I won't let that mangy wolf get his claws into her."

"But that youkai has a point." Souta spoke up. He had been very quiet the entire time.

"What do you mean by that?" Inuyasha demanded defensively.

"Kagome knows you still have feelings for Kikyou."

"But that's different. That's…" He hung his head. In the depths of his soul, Inuyasha knew he was torn. He felt an obligation to Kikyou. She was the first one to spend any time with him willingly since his mother died. Fifty years ago he thought he loved her and she loved him. He simply could not stop caring what happened to her, or stop thinking of the walking dead as the real Kikyou, any more than he could stop feeling guilty and responsible for her death even though his brain knew better. Even Kaede had tried to tell him that Kikyou could not have really cared for him that much if she did not want him as a hanyou, and while some part of him tried to accept that, in his eyes she was still Kikyou, his first friend, his first kiss, and Inuyasha could not just set her aside.

On the other hand, Inuyasha wanted Kagome. She was his life and his world. It terrified him inside whenever he thought about losing her. She brought color, friends, acceptance and a sense of belonging to his life, and he had never had any of those things while he was young. When he was next to her and close to her, these strange feelings welled up, an anxiety, a pleasure, a sharpness of physical feeling that he couldn't bear, but couldn't bear to move away from. He had only instinct to give him clues. His mother had died when he was very young, and there certainly wasn't anyone, human or youkai, who had discussed the birds and the bees with a young hanyou. Not even Myouga had thought to do it.

"I won't let him have her. I WON'T." Inuyasha picked up the backpack Kagome had dropped a lifetime ago and looked at Mama Higurashi. "I'm going to help Kagome and I won't let that wimpy wolf get his claws in her."

"Thank you Inuyasha. There is plenty of ramen in the kitchen, and a newly equipped first aid kit, if you have time to pick it up before you go back." Inuyasha just nodded. "Do you have any idea when she will return?" He shrugged.

"She said something about a 'math testo' she wanted to come back here to take. Although why she wants to take a testo for something she hates that has no use I know of is beyond me." Suddenly he stopped, turned and in one move jumped on top of the desk closest to Houjo. He glared at him, flattened his ears and growled just enough to show some fang. "I can tell you, though, that no matter when she comes back, it won't be in time to go to no 'car. ni. val.' with the likes of you. Understand?" Houjo just nodded, wide eyed. "Keh, you should be grateful that mangy wolf didn't realize you were some would-be rival for Kagome. I can handle him, but if he thought you were even sniffing in Kagome's direction, well, promise to Kagome or no promise on eating humans, that would be the end for you. Understand??" Houjo nodded earnestly, and with a final snarl and a glare in his direction, Inuyasha jumped out the window.

--

After about a minute, Mama Higurashi spoke up.

"Ummm, Kagome won't be in school for a few days." She said brightly. "Her. . . er… bursitis is acting up."

Sensei just nodded.


End file.
